So a few weeks ago, GMAIL launched a beta test called "Sponsored mail with enhanced content" which in basic terms means that if your an approved vendor by GMAIL that your marketing or transactional emails will also have a little icon to the side of the email showing off your recognized branding.
Also, supposedly if the sender authenticates their email (SPF/DKIM), the branded content will help identify emails as being legitimate and not spoofed (GMAIL will only show branded content when the sender authenticates their mail).
Do I think it's worth wild option? perhaps, but only time will tell. If I knew more about how GMAIL is preparing to "approve" vendors so they may have their icon showing that might make it easier to understand or know whether or not this will help them address some of the phishing emails or mistaken marking of email as spam. What I can say about this is it might be a cheaper option to having some of your email arriving in the inbox and recognized. Could this be a pay for enhanced whitelist?
I also hope it doesn't complicate the email anymore in terms of how it loads or what browser support you might need.
I for one might take more time to read an email that had a branded icon to the side of it vs. a overused blue ribbon (not attacking GoodMail Systems). I'm overloaded on email (1,000 per day). Lists, corporate, personal, etc.
- What happens if your using IMAP or POP to see your GMAIL email in a thick client like Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail? Do you see the icons there? Probably not. I use IMAP with Apple Mail so I can see all my email accounts while I travel.
- What happens if you forward this trusted email within GMAIL to another GMAIL user? to an outside user? Does the icon or trust survive? probably not since the author has changed.
- What happens if now senders have to buy into all these enhanced programs like Sender Score Certified, GoodMail Systems, GMAIL's icon whitelist? Who's next in this AOL? HotMail?
thoughts anyone?
-Dennis
Eloqua
Don't Just Send, Deliver!
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When did Gmail change their name to GMAIL?
Hi Dennis,
Yes, this is much of what the SenderOK plug-in does, except we do it cross-platform (not just in Gmail). We're like the little mouse that squeaked "look at what we can do" for six months and then the elephant roared "look at what we can do" and people took notice.
The trust for such a service would basically be that the sender passes a minimum opt-in, opt-out standard and then promises to be on their good behavior. It wouldn't take long for a service to notice bad behavior and it would end up hurting the sender more than anyone else if they violate the conditions.
Maybe they are, or might, use an open additional header standard such as the proposal at http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/asrg/current/msg12583.html to preserve the branding to later thick clients or other gatewaying systems.